Mid-Summer’s Night Dream of a tour!

The Last Summer on Earth tour, brought to you by the ever-hilarious Barenaked Ladies, sufficed as a mid-summer party for the city of Charlotte last night. With their latest album Fake Nudes topping the rock charts to this day, BNL are well on their way to earning Hall Of Fame accolades… Oh wait! They already have, duh. Opening up the night was KT Tunstall and Better Than Ezra, two artists who rounded out an already starstruck bill.

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall (Rostrum Records) is, yes, still around and, yes, still making music that that is completed underappreciated. Her new album KIN is out now with her lead single being Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”. You may remember adding “Suddenly I See” or “Black Horse And The Cherry Tree” to your summer playlists back in 2005, or perhaps snagging a spot on the bandwagon upon the release of her trilogy of records. Regardless, you’ve got to add KT Tunstall to your list of must-sees simply for the musicianship (I mean, have you see her acoustic sessions? Get out of here.)

Currently, KT Tunstall is a tad busy opening up for Barenaked Ladies and reminding people why she belongs at the top of the rock charts. Part two of her album trilogy is due out any day now, so be sure to stay up to date on her whereabouts via Twitter and Facebook!

Better Than Ezra (Ezra Dry Goods) graced the stage next, gearing up an already psyched crowd. Though Tunstall is known for her musicianship and craft, Better Than Ezra have been crowned with several excited chants of “They put on the BEST show!”, at least in my friend circle they have been. That being said, it’s no surprise that BNL snatched them up on tour with them. Despite many of dramatic time throughout the band’s history, their lively stage presence matches perfectly with BNL’s, almost to a T. Case and point: vocalist Kevin Griffin gave Charlotte his best DMB impression. Pulling his guitar up high on his chest, he closed his eyes and squealed “This could Dave Matthews Band…” during their 1996 hit “Desperately Wanting”.

What made their set that much more exciting (not that it wasn’t already par for the course) was when Kevin Hearn, BNL’s multi-instrumentalist hero, joined Better Than Ezra on stage to belt out Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”, strolling around the reserved seating area to serenade the crowd. What a DREAM. Though Better Than Ezra hasn’t dropped an album since 2014, we’re still hoping they scrap something together soon. For now, their latest single “Grateful” will have to do!

Canadian comedians, established songwriters, and all around good dudes are, like, the perfect qualities to make up a successful band… At least according to Barenaked Ladies (Vanguard Records). Known for their lighthearted stage antics and quirky banter between songs, and overall fan engagement, Barenaked Ladies are still somehow highly underrated. Stick with me here! Some people shove them into boxes they just don’t belong in, like “classic rock” or “dad’s tapes” or “songs I sometimes hear on the radio and secretly sing to”. Despite their accomplishments as people and as a band, Barenaked Ladies has earned a spot at the top of their genre, showing the music industry that nice guys DO win, and nice guys who make good music are far more preferable than… Ok, I’m getting off track.

That being said, the show Barenaked Ladies put on last night was a once in a lifetime experience, as are all concerts, and that’s just fucking cool. The tone for the Last Summer on Earth Tour was set early when a bra flung itself (I’m imagining) on stage, finding a home snugly between some monitors. Sure, ok, we see a lot of bras on stage BUT, the impromptu rap battle that surfaced was spontaneous and lovely and hilarious and awesome. Songstress KT Tunstall rushed back on stage to join the dudes during fan favorite “Brian Wilson”. Dreamy!

About halfway through the show, the band found new homes on the stage, rearranging their positions so all four were front and center, with a small light rig behind them. A more intimate experience was at bay, bringing out BTE’s Griffin for “Looking Up”, with a few more songs thrown in, like “Canada Dry” and “The Township of King”.

You’ve still got a few more changes to catch Barenaked Ladies before they hibernate once again, but catch ‘em quick before they go! The band is almost through touring on their twelfth release Fake Nudes, and the Canadian Hall Of Famers can only tour so long before hiding in the studio once again.